Putin – Zełenski ''face-to-face''
Talks under the “Normandy Format”, created in 2014 by France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine, are continuing in Paris. The goal of the talks is to bring about an end the armed conflict in Ukraine. Russia has occupied Crimea and eastern Ukraine since 2014. At the talks, the first face-to-face meeting between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zełenski, has taken place.
Vladimir Putin and the host of the meeting, French President Emmanuel Macron, were joined by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. The main topic of the summit is said to be the issue of settling the conflict in Donbass in eastern Ukraine, which has been continuing since 2014. The issue of Russian-Ukrainian energy cooperation was also to be tackled during the meeting. Talks are currently underway on a new contract regarding the transit of Russian gas through western Ukraine. The current agreement expires at the end of December.
Poles founded a clinic on the water
A mobile clinic funded by Poles will help patients in remote corners of the state of Wakema in Myanmar (Burma). The clinic is already operating.
The boat and equipment cost around 150,000 PLN. It is the only such medical unit from Poland, which was established in Wakema in cooperation with the Polish Medical Mission and Polish Aid. (Polish Aid – government support program for developing societies). The boat, over 12 m long, is equipped with a power generator and a water tank. Three doctors and support staff can work on board the clinic. If necessary, the boat can transport the patient to the hospital. The state of Wakema is located on uneven terrain, in the Irrawaddy Delta, and transport to other parts of the area is done by rivers. Local doctors cooperate with the doctors of the Polish Medical Mission. they serve as interpreters from Burmese to English.
The Łódź library supports seniors and visually impaired people
The provincial public library in Łódź has enriched its collections with several hundred new issued books with large and legible fonts. The offer was prepared for the visually impaired and the elderly.
To meet the needs of readers, our facility bought unique books, printed in large and legible fonts – explained Ewa Baranowska from the Provincial Public Library of Marshal Józef Piłsudski. The new collection has about 800 items issued as part of the Capital Letters and Capital Letters projects. Books have a larger font, composition and contrast, making them easy to read. Among the eyes-friendly books available in the library are not only fiction but also non-fiction. There are books by such authors as: Remigiusz Mróz, Monika Szwaja, Stephen King, Nora Roberts, Maria Nurowska, Katarzyna Puzyńska, Stanisław Grzesiuk, Michalina Wisłocka and many, many other writers. – There is plenty to choose from – Baranowska assured.
Over half a thousand angels appeared on the Kalisz market
In Kalisz, the Polish record was broken in the largest number of people dressed as angels in one place. On Sunday, during the 8th Eve on Kalisz market, 585 angels gathered near the town hall.
This is proof that Kalisz is a city of angels. We beat our Polish record, which we set in 2017. There were 531 angels at the time – for PAP on Sunday said Tomasz Jeżyk, president of the Bread of Life foundation, co-organizer of the 8th charity edition of “Christmas Eve on the Kalisz market”. Each participant in the happening had a white robe reaching down to his knees, wings attached and a halo. Among the angels were also children in prams and elderly residents of Kalisz. Income from the event will go to rehabilitation, medicine, special equipment and operations for the five charges of the foundation – Zoi, Oliwia, Malwina, Sebastian and Kuba. Last year, over 30,000 PLN were collected during the charity Christmas Eve. Tomasz Jeżyk counts “at least to repeat this amount”.
Free city of Hong Kong
A great march took place in the streets of Hong Kong today. Thousands of people dressed in black marched, chanting slogans regarding the defense of human rights, defense of democracy, and autonomy of the metropolis, among others. The demonstrators set off from Victoria Park towards the financial street of the Central district.
It was the first march since August, organized by the Human Rights Front, which was permitted by the Hong Kong police authorities.
“Most people in Hong Kong are against the government, and the government has not listened to Hong Kong citizens and our five demands”- says resident of Hong Kong.
“I am proud of all Hong Kong residents. We will never surrender. We will not surrender in the face of police violence. Many people have been imprisoned, many have been injured, some have lost their lives. We can not accept it. “- says a resident of Hong Kong
Meanwhile, Hong Kong police said they have been confiscating semi-automatic firearms after carrying out searches among the oppositionists.
“In the Happy Valley area, we found a 9mm semi-automatic firearm. In addition, we found five boxes with cartridges. We found a total of 105 bullets at the house. According to our findings, the goal was to use today’s demonstration as an excuse to use firearms to cause unrest”- says Li Kwai-Wah, Hong Kong Police spokesperson.
Massive anti-government protests have been going on in Hong Kong since June, and there are regular clashes with police and vandalism on the streets. Hong Kong residents are demanding, among other things, democratic election of the region’s authorities and an independent investigation into police actions that they accuse of abusing violence against demonstrators.
Helping the church in the east
Yesterday, the Catholic Church celebrates the Immaculate Conception of Holy Mary. Because of the second Sunday of Advent, the Polish Church for the 20th time celebrates the Day of Prayer and Material Assistance to the Church in the East. The main purpose of the celebration is to support the Church in the countries of Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia, which once belonged to the Soviet Union.
”This Church has its structures, but it still needs our help and support – financial and spiritual. We have to remember that Poles or people who have Polish roots are the majority among the faithful of the Church in the East. They don’t live outside Poland because they chose to. They were persecuted, they were poor, but they didn’t disclaim their faith and nationality. We owe to them the memory, care, help and gratitude for not letting our faith and our nationality die. We have to pray for them and help them. I would like to thank everyone for their help and support. God bless everyone who joined the ‘Help to the Church in the East’ action. Also, I want to ensure you about my prayers”- says Archibishop Stanisław Gądecki, President of the Episcopal Conference of Poland.
Szymon Hołownia officially announced his candidacy in the Polish presidential elections
Yesterday, Szymon Hołownia officially announced his candidacy in the Polish presidential elections. Despite the fact that he’s not taken seriously by many people, politicians are wondering how many votes can he take from other candidates.
”I think it’s good that many different people want to run in the presidential elections. But I’m not sure if he’s going to play a key role. We don’t know his views, so I think this can turn into chaos”- says Wanda Nowicka, The Left.
There are many questions surrounding the candidacy of Hołownia, for example the financial source of this campaign.
Who will financially support his campaign – this is a very interesting question, because everything depends on the amount of money. But will he get many votes? We’ll see in the future”- says The Polish People’s party.
According to Paweł Sałek from the Chancellery of the President of Poland, President Andrzej Duda has respect for all the candidates.
”Mr. Szymon Hołownia is known for his activity in the media, but we don’t know anything about him when it comes to politics. We’re going to find out more after the convention. The next few days will show what he has to offer”- says Paweł Sałek, chancellery of the President of Poland.
According to Dariusz Joński from the Civic Coalition, everything depends on the amount of money needed to run the campaign.
”As the Americans say: the amount of money you have determines a good or bad campaign. However, a good campaign depends not only on the amount of money. You also have to have a good way to lead it. As we’ve witnessed in the past, President Duda’s campaign was led in a good way and that guaranteed his success” – says Dariusz Joński, The Civic Coalition.
Szymon Hołownia is known, among others, for speaking about his faith in God publicly.
”He’s a candidate that we can’t ignore for sure. He can take some votes from President Duda, but I don’t think that it would be enough”- says dominika Figurska, The Law and Justice party.
The Polish presidential elections are due to take place in 2020. The exact date is yet unknown, but they will most likely take place in May.